High efficiency roller shade and method for setting artificial stops

ABSTRACT

The present invention advantageously provides a motorized roller shade that includes a shade tube, a motor/controller unit and a power supply unit. The motor/controller unit is disposed within the shade tube, and includes a bearing, rotatably coupled to a support shaft, and a DC gear motor. The output shaft of the DC gear motor is coupled to the support shaft such that the output shaft and the support shaft do not rotate when the support shaft is attached to the mounting bracket.

The present application is a Continuation-In-Part application that claimpriority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/711,193, filed Feb. 23,2010, entitled Method for Operating a Motorized Roller Shade, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a motorized shade. Specifically, thepresent invention relates to a high-efficiency roller shade havingoperational limits without employing hard stops or limit switches.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One ubiquitous form of window treatment is the roller shade. A commonwindow covering during the 19^(th) century, a roller shade is simply arectangular panel of fabric, or other material, that is attached to acylindrical, rotating tube. The shade tube is mounted near the header ofthe window such that the shade rolls up upon itself as the shade tuberotates in one direction, and rolls down to cover the a desired portionof the window when the shade tube is rotated in the opposite direction.

A control system, mounted at one end of the shade tube, can secure theshade at one or more positions along the extent of its travel,regardless of the direction of rotation of the shade tube. Simplemechanical control systems include ratchet-and-pawl mechanisms, frictionbrakes, clutches, etc. To roll the shade up and down, and to positionthe shade at intermediate locations along its extend of travel,ratchet-and-pawl and friction brake mechanisms require the lower edge ofthe shade to be manipulated by the user, while clutch mechanisms includea control chain that is manipulated by the user.

Not surprisingly, motorization of the roller shade was accomplished,quite simply, by replacing the simple, mechanical control system with anelectric motor that is directly coupled to the shade tube. The motor maybe located inside or outside the shade tube, is fixed to the rollershade support and is connected to a simple switch, or, in moresophisticated applications, to a radio frequency (RF) or infrared (IR)transceiver, that controls the activation of the motor and the rotationof the shade tube.

Many known motorized roller shades provide power, such as 120 VAC,220/230 VAC 50/60 Hz, etc., to the motor and control electronics fromthe facility in which the motorized roller shade is installed.Recently-developed battery-powered roller shades provide installationflexibility by removing the requirement to connect the motor and controlelectronics to facility power. The batteries for these roller shades aretypically mounted within, above, or adjacent to the shade mountingbracket, headrail or fascia. Unfortunately, these battery-poweredsystems suffer from many drawbacks, including, for example, high levelsof self-generated noise, inadequate battery life, inadequate ornonexistent counterbalancing capability, inadequate or nonexistentmanual operation capability, inconvenient installation requirements, andthe like.

Moreover, setting the operational range of a motorized shade or blind isnecessary to assure control of solar gain and privacy. Therefore manyknown motorized roller shade designs have taken several approaches, forexample, external limit switches, internal limit switches, and hardstops which stall the motor at the limits. Limit switches have inherentdrawbacks as they can be expensive and can fail over time. Externallimit switches are typically installed during the installation which canbe time consuming whereas internal limit switches are installed into thecontrol system of the shade or blind and can be operated by lead screwsand nuts or cams also adding cost. Hard stops require the installer torun a set up routine after the shade or blind is installed and provide asatisfactory way to set the upper and lower travel limits which definethe operational range of the shade or blind. Typical drawbacks to hardstops include the noise, the wear and tear on the components and in thecase of battery power supplies and the use of additional current tostall the motor which shorten the battery life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention advantageously provide a motorizedroller shade that includes a shade tube, a motor/controller unit and apower supply unit. The motor/controller unit is disposed within theshade tube, and includes a bearing, rotatably coupled to a supportshaft, and a DC gear motor. The output shaft of the DC gear motor iscoupled to the support shaft such that the output shaft and the supportshaft do not rotate when the support shaft is attached to the mountingbracket.

Other embodiments of the present invention provide an internalmotor/controller unit for a motorized roller shade that includes abearing rotatably coupled to a support shaft, a DC gear motor and a DCgear motor mount that is attachable to the inner surface of the shadetube. The output shaft of the DC gear motor is coupled to the supportshaft such that the output shaft and the support shaft do not rotatewhen the support shaft is attached to the mounting bracket.

Further embodiments of the present invention provide an internal powersupply unit for a motorized roller shade that includes a battery tube,an outer end cap and an inner end cap. The outer end cap includes abearing that is rotatably coupled to a support shaft that is attachableto a mounting bracket. The outer and inner end caps are attachable tothe inner surface of the shade tube.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of settingthe operational limits of a motorized shade or blind having a travelpath is provided, comprising the steps of: translating or moving themotorized shade or blind to a first position within the travel path tocreate a first artificial stop; translating or moving the motorizedshade or blind to a second position within the travel path to create asecond artificial stop; and translating or moving the motorized shade orblind to a third position within the travel path to create a thirdartificial stop, wherein the motorized roller shade comprises: acounter; and a microprocessor, wherein the counter and themicroprocessor are each configured to count a number of revolutions ofthe shade or blind to each of the first artificial stop, the secondartificial stop and the third artificial stop.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of theinvention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may bebetter understood, and in order that the present contribution to the artmay be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodimentsof the invention that will be described below and which will form thesubject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments inaddition to those described and of being practiced and carried out invarious ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for thepurpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conceptionupon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B depict complementary isometric views of a motorizedroller shade assembly, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B depict complementary isometric views of a motorizedroller shade assembly, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 depicts an exploded, isometric view of the motorized roller shadeassembly depicted in FIG. 2B.

FIG. 4 depicts an isometric view of a motorized tube assembly, accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts a partially-exploded, isometric view of the motorizedtube assembly depicted in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 depicts an exploded, isometric view of the motor/controller unitdepicted in FIG. 5.

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict exploded, isometric views of a motor/controllerunit according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7C, 7D and 7E depict isometric views of a motor/controller unitaccording to another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8A depicts an exploded, isometric view of the power supply unitdepicted in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIGS. 8B and 8C depict an exploded, isometric view of a power supplyunit according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A and 9B depict exploded, isometric views of a power supply unitaccording to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 presents a front view of a motorized roller shade, according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 presents a sectional view along the longitudinal axis of themotorized roller shade depicted in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 presents a front view of a motorized roller shade, according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 presents a sectional view along the longitudinal axis of themotorized roller shade depicted in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 presents a front view of a motorized roller shade, according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 presents a sectional view along the longitudinal axis of themotorized roller shade depicted in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 presents an isometric view of a motorized roller shade assemblyin accordance with the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 10-15.

FIG. 17 presents a method 400 for controlling a motorized roller shade20, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 18 to 25 present operational flow charts illustrating variouspreferred embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a plan view of a window with a roller shade assembly inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention wherein the shadeassembly is deployed in a first position.

FIG. 27 is a plan view of the window and roller shade assembly depictedin FIG. 26 wherein the roller shade assembly is deployed in a second orclosed position.

FIG. 28 is a plan view of the window or roller shade assembly depictedin FIGS. 26 and 27 wherein the shade assembly is deployed to third oropen position.

FIG. 29 is a perspective or cutaway view of a roller shade assemblyillustrating the motor control area in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 30 in an enlarged perspective view of the roller shade assemblydepicted in FIG. 29.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawingfigures, in which like reference numerals refer to like partsthroughout. The term “shade” as used herein describes any flexiblematerial, such as a shade, a curtain, a screen, etc., that can bedeployed from, and retrieved onto, a storage tube.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a remote controlledmotorized roller shade in which the batteries, DC gear motor, controlcircuitry are entirely contained within a shade tube that is supportedby bearings. Two support shafts are attached to respective mountingbrackets, and the bearings rotatably couple the shade tube to eachsupport shaft. The output shaft of the DC gear motor is fixed to one ofthe support shafts, while the DC gear motor housing is mechanicallycoupled to the shade tube. Accordingly, operation of the DC gear motorcauses the motor housing to rotate about the fixed DC gear motor outputshaft, which causes the shade tube to rotate about the fixed DC gearmotor output shaft as well. Because these embodiments do not requireexternal wiring for power or control, great flexibility in mounting, andre-mounting, the motorized roller shade is provided.

Encapsulation of the motorization and control components within theshade tube, combined with the performance of the bearings and enhancedbattery capacity of the DC gear motor configuration described above,greatly increases the number of duty cycles provided by a single set ofbatteries and provides a highly efficient roller shade. Additionally,encapsulation advantageously prevents dust and other contaminants fromentering the electronics and the drive components.

In an alternative embodiment, the batteries may be mounted outside ofthe shade tube, and power may be provided to the components locatedwithin the shade tube using commutator or slip rings, inductiontechniques, and the like. Additionally, the external batteries may bereplaced by any external source of DC power, such as, for example, anAC/DC power converter, a solar cell, etc.

FIGS. 1A and 1B depict complementary isometric views of a motorizedroller shade assembly 10 having a reverse payout, in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. FIGS. 2A and 2B depictcomplementary isometric views of a motorized roller shade assembly 10having a standard payout, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention, while FIG. 3 depicts an exploded, isometric view of themotorized roller shade assembly 10 depicted in FIG. 2B. In oneembodiment, motorized roller shade 20 is mounted near the top portion ofa window, door, etc., using mounting brackets 5 and 7. In anotherembodiment, motorized roller shade 20 is mounted near the top portion ofthe window using mounting brackets 15 and 17, which also support fascia12. In the latter embodiment, fascia end caps 14 and 16 attach to fascia12 to conceal motorized roller shade 20, as well as mounting brackets 15and 17.

Generally, motorized roller shade 20 includes a shade 22 and a motorizedtube assembly 30. In a preferred embodiment, motorized roller shade 20also includes a bottom bar 28 attached to the bottom of shade 22. In oneembodiment, bottom bar 28 provides an end-of-travel stop, while in analternative embodiment, end-of-travel stops 24 and 26 may be provided.As discussed in more detail below, in preferred embodiments, all of thecomponents necessary to power and control the operation of the motorizedroller shade 20 are advantageously located within motorized tubeassembly 30.

FIGS. 4 and 5 depict isometric views of motorized tube assembly 30,according to one embodiment of the present invention. Motorized tubeassembly 30 includes a shade tube 32, motor/controller unit 40 andbattery tube unit 80. The top of shade 22 is attached to the outersurface of shade tube 32, while motor/controller unit 40 and batterytube unit 80 are located within an inner cavity defined by the innersurface of shade tube 32.

FIG. 6 depicts an exploded, isometric view of the motor/controller unit40 depicted in FIG. 5. Generally, the motor/controller unit 40 includesan electrical power connector 42, a circuit board housing 44, a DC gearmotor 55 that includes a DC motor 50 and an integral motor gear reducingassembly 52, a mount 54 for the DC gear motor 55, and a bearing housing58.

The electrical power connector 42 includes a terminal 41 that couples tothe power supply unit 80, and power cables 43 that connect to thecircuit board(s) located within the circuit board housing 44. Terminal41 includes positive and negative connectors that mate with cooperatingpositive and negative connectors of power supply unit 80, such as, forexample, plug connectors, blade connectors, a coaxial connector, etc. Ina preferred embodiment, the positive and negative connectors do not havea preferred orientation. The electrical power connector 42 ismechanically coupled to the inner surface of the shade tube 32 using apress fit, an interference fit, a friction fit, a key, adhesive, etc.

The circuit board housing 44 includes an end cap 45 and a housing body46 within which at least one circuit board 47 is mounted. In thedepicted embodiment, two circuit boards 47 are mounted within thecircuit board housing 44 in an orthogonal relationship. Circuit boards47 generally include all of the supporting circuitry and electroniccomponents necessary to sense and control the operation of the motor 50,manage and/or condition the power provided by the power supply unit 80,etc., including, for example, a controller or microcontroller, memory, awireless receiver, etc. In one embodiment, the microcontroller is anMicrochip 8-bit microcontroller, such as the PIC18F25K20, while thewireless receiver is a Micrel QwikRadio® receiver, such as the MICRF219.The microcontroller may be coupled to the wireless receiver using alocal processor bus, a serial bus, a serial peripheral interface, etc.In another embodiment, the wireless receiver and microcontroller may beintegrated into a single chip, such as, for example, the Zensys ZW0201Z-Wave Single Chip, etc.

The antenna for the wireless receiver may mounted to the circuit boardor located, generally, inside the circuit board housing 44.Alternatively, the antenna may be located outside the circuit boardhousing 44, including, for example, the outer surface of the circuitboard housing 44, the inner surface of the shade tube 32, the outersurface of the shade tube 32, the bearing housing 58, etc. The circuitboard housing 44 may be mechanically coupled to the inner surface of theshade tube 32 using, for example, a press fit, an interference fit, afriction fit, a key, adhesive, etc.

In another embodiment, a wireless transmitter is also provided, andinformation relating to the status, performance, etc., of the motorizedroller shade 20 may be transmitted periodically to a wireless diagnosticdevice, or, preferably, in response to a specific query from thewireless diagnostic device. In one embodiment, the wireless transmitteris a Micrel QwikRadio® transmitter, such as the MICRF102. A wirelesstransceiver, in which the wireless transmitter and receiver are combinedinto a single component, may also be included, and in one embodiment,the wireless transceiver is a Micrel RadioWire® transceiver, such as theMICRF506. In another embodiment, the wireless transceiver andmicrocontroller may be integrated into a single module, such as, forexample, the Zensys ZM3102 Z-Wave Module, etc. The functionality of themicrocontroller, as it relates to the operation of the motorized rollershade 20, is discussed in more detail below.

In an alternative embodiment, the shade tube 32 includes one or moreslots to facilitate the transmission of wireless signal energy to thewireless receiver, and from the wireless transmitter, if so equipped.For example, if the wireless signal is within the radio frequency (RF)band, the slot may be advantageously matched to the wavelength of thesignal. For one RF embodiment, the slot is ⅛″ wide and 2½″ long; otherdimensions are also contemplated.

The DC motor 50 is electrically connected to the circuit board 47, andhas an output shaft that is connected to the input shaft of the motorgear reducing assembly 52. The DC motor 50 may also be mechanicallycoupled to the circuit board housing body 46 using, for example, a pressfit, an interference fit, a friction fit, a key, adhesive, mechanicalfasteners, etc. In various embodiments of the present invention, DCmotor 50 and motor gear reducing assembly 52 are provided as a singlemechanical package, such as the DC gear motors manufactured by BühlerMotor Inc.

In one preferred embodiment, DC gear motor 55 includes a 24V DC motorand a two-stage planetary gear system with a 40:1 ratio, such as, forexample, Bühler DC Gear Motor 1.61.077.423, and is supplied with anaverage battery voltage of 9.6V_(avg) provided by an eight D-cellbattery stack. Other alternative embodiments are also contemplated bythe present invention. However, this preferred embodiment offersparticular advantages over many alternatives, including, for example,embodiments that include smaller average battery voltages, smallerbattery sizes, 12V DC motors, three-stage planetary gear systems, etc.

For example, in this preferred embodiment, the 24V DC gear motor 55draws a current of about 0.1 A when supplied with a battery voltage of9.6V_(avg). However, under the same torsional loading and output speed(e.g., 30 rpm), a 12V DC gear motor with a similar gear system, such as,e.g., Bühler DC Gear Motor 1.61.077.413, will draw a current of about0.2 A when supplied with a battery voltage of 4.8V_(avg). Assumingsimilar motor efficiencies, the 24V DC gear motor supplied with9.6V_(avg) advantageously draws about 50% less current than the 12V DCgear motor supplied with 4.8V_(avg) while producing the same poweroutput.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the rated voltage ofthe DC gear motor is much greater than the voltage produced by thebatteries, by a factor of two or more, for example, causing the DC motorto operate at a reduced speed and torque rating, which advantageouslyeliminates undesirable higher frequency noise and draws lower currentfrom the batteries, thereby improving battery life. In other words,applying a lower-than-rated voltage to the DC gear motor causes themotor to run at a lower-than-rated speed to produce quieter operationand longer battery life as compared to a DC gear motor running at itsrated voltage, which draws similar amperage while producing lower runcycle times to produce equivalent mechanical power. In the embodimentdescribed above, the 24V DC gear motor, running at lower voltages,enhances the cycle life of the battery operated roller shade by about20% when compared to a 12V DC gear motor using the same batterycapacity. Alkaline, zinc and lead acid batteries may provide betterperformance than lithium or nickel batteries, for example.

In another example, four D-cell batteries produce an average batteryvoltage of about 4.8V_(avg), while eight D-cell batteries produce anaverage battery voltage of about 9.6V_(avg). Clearly, embodiments thatinclude an eight D-cell battery stack advantageously provide twice asmuch battery capacity than those embodiments that include a four D-cellbattery stack. Of course, smaller battery sizes, such as, e.g., C-cell,AA-cell, etc., offer less capacity than D-cells.

In a further example, supplying a 12V DC gear motor with 9.6V_(avg)increases the motor operating speed, which requires a higher gear ratioin order to provide the same output speed as the 24V DC gear motordiscussed above. In other words, assuming the same torsional loading,output speed (e.g., 30 rpm) and average battery voltage (9.6V_(avg)),the motor operating speed of the 24V DC gear motor will be about 50% ofthe motor operating speed of the 12V DC gear motor. The higher gearratio typically requires an additional planetary gear stage, whichreduces motor efficiency, increases generated noise, reduces backdriveperformance and may require a more complex motor controller.Consequently, those embodiments that include a 24V DC gear motorsupplied with 9.6V_(avg) offer higher efficiencies and less generatednoise.

In one embodiment, the shaft 51 of DC motor 50 protrudes into thecircuit board housing 44, and a multi-pole magnet 49 is attached to theend of the motor shaft 51. A magnetic encoder (not shown for clarity) ismounted on the circuit board 47 to sense the rotation of the multi-polemagnet 49, and outputs a pulse for each pole of the multi-pole magnet 49that moves past the encoder. In a preferred embodiment, the multi-polemagnet 49 has eight poles and the gear reducing assembly 52 has a gearratio of 30:1, so that the magnetic encoder outputs 240 pulses for eachrevolution of the shade tube 32. The controller advantageously countsthese pulses to determine the operational and positional characteristicsof the shade, curtain, etc. Other types of encoders may also be used,such as optical encoders, mechanical encoders, etc.

The number of pulses output by the encoder may be associated with alinear displacement of the shade 22 by a distance/pulse conversionfactor or a pulse/distance conversion factor. In one embodiment, thisconversion factor is constant regardless of the position of shade 22.For example, using the outer diameter d of the shade tube 32, e.g., 1⅝inches (1.625 inches), each rotation of the shade tube 32 moves theshade 22 a linear distance of π*d, or about 5 inches. For the eight-polemagnet 49 and 30:1 gear reducing assembly 52 embodiment discussed above,the distance/pulse conversion factor is about 0.02 inches/pulse, whilethe pulse/distance conversion factor is about 48 pulses/inch. In anotherexample, the outer diameter of the fully-wrapped shade 22 may be used inthe calculation. When a length of shade 22 is wrapped on shade tube 32,such as 8 feet, the outer diameter of the wrapped shade 22 depends uponthe thickness of the shade material. In certain embodiments, the outerdiameter of the wrapped shade 22 may be as small as 1.8 inches or aslarge as 2.5 inches.

For the latter case, the distance/pulse conversion factor is about 0.03inches/pulse, while the pulse/distance conversion factor is about 30pulses/inch. Of course, any diameter between these two extremes, i.e.,the outer diameter of the shade tube 32 and the outer diameter of thewrapped shade 22, may be used. These approximations generate an errorbetween the calculated linear displacement of the shade and the truelinear displacement of the shade, so an average or intermediate diametermay preferably reduce the error. In another embodiment, the conversionfactor may be a function of the position of the shade 22, so that theconversion factor depends upon the calculated linear displacement of theshade 22.

In various preferred embodiments discussed below, the position of theshade 22 is determined and controlled based on the number of pulses thathave been detected from a known position of shade 22. While the openposition is preferred, the closed position may also be used as the knownposition. In order to determine the full range of motion of shade 22,for example, the shade may be electrically moved to the open position,an accumulated pulse counter may be reset and the shade 22 may then bemoved to the closed position, manually and/or electrically. The totalnumber of accumulated pulses represents the limit of travel for theshade, and any desirable intermediate positions may be calculated basedon this number.

For example, an 8 foot shade that moves from the open position to theclosed position may generate 3840 pulses, and various intermediatepositions of the shade 22 can be advantageously determined, such as, 25%open, 50% open, 75% open, etc. Quite simply, the number of pulsesbetween the open position and the 75% open position would be 960, thenumber of pulses between the open position and the 50% open positionwould be 1920, and so on. Controlled movement between thesepredetermined positions is based on the accumulated pulse count. Forexample, at the 50% open position, this 8 foot shade would have anaccumulated pulse count of 1920, and controlled movement to the 75% openposition would require an increase in the accumulated pulse count to2880. Accordingly, movement of the shade 22 is determined and controlledbased on accumulating the number of pulses detected since the shade 22was deployed in the known position. An average number of pulses/inch maybe calculated based on the total number of pulses and the length ofshade 22, and an approximate linear displacement of the shade 22 can becalculated based on the number of pulses accumulated over a given timeperiod. In this example, the average number of pulses/inch is 40, somovement of the shade 22 about 2 inches would generate about 80 pulses.Positional errors are advantageously eliminated by resetting theaccumulated pulse counter to zero whenever the shade 22 is moved to theknown position.

A mount 54 supports the DC gear motor 55, and may be mechanicallycoupled to the inner surface of the shade tube 32. In one embodiment,the outer surface of the mount 54 and the inner surface of the shadetube 32 are smooth, and the mechanical coupling is a press fit, aninterference fit, a friction fit, etc. In another embodiment, the outersurface of the mount 54 includes several raised longitudinal protrusionsthat mate with cooperating longitudinal recesses in the inner surface ofthe shade tube 32. In this embodiment, the mechanical coupling is keyed;a combination of these methods is also contemplated. If the frictionalresistance is small enough, the motor/controller unit 40 may be removedfrom the shade tube 32 for inspection or repair; in other embodiments,the motor/controller unit 40 may be permanently secured within the shadetube 32 using adhesives, etc.

As described above, the circuit board housing 44 and the mount 54 may bemechanically coupled to the inner surface of the shade tube 32.Accordingly, at least three different embodiments are contemplated bythe present invention. In one embodiment, the circuit board housing 44and the mount 54 are both mechanically coupled to the inner surface ofthe shade tube 32. In another embodiment, only the circuit board housing44 is mechanically coupled to the inner surface of the shade tube 32. Ina further embodiment, only the mount 54 is mechanically coupled to theinner surface of the shade tube 32.

The output shaft of the DC gear motor 55 is fixed to the support shaft60, either directly (not shown for clarity) or through an intermediateshaft 62. When the motorized roller shade 20 is installed, support shaft60 is attached to a mounting bracket that prevents the support shaft 60from rotating. Because (a) the output shaft of the DC gear motor 55 iscoupled to the support shaft 60 which is fixed to the mounting bracket,and (b) the DC gear motor 55 is mechanically-coupled to the shade tube,operation of the DC gear motor 55 causes the DC gear motor 55 to rotateabout the fixed output shaft, which causes the shade tube 32 to rotateabout the fixed output shaft as well.

Bearing housing 58 includes one or more bearings 64 that are rotatablycoupled to the support shaft 60. In a preferred embodiment, bearinghousing 58 includes two rolling element bearings, such as, for example,spherical ball bearings; each outer race is attached to the bearinghousing 58, while each inner race is attached to the support shaft 60.In a preferred embodiment, two ball bearings are spaced about ⅜″ apartgiving a total support land of about 0.8″ or 20 mm; in an alternativeembodiment, the intra-bearing spacing is about twice the diameter ofsupport shaft 60. Other types of low-friction bearings are alsocontemplated by the present invention.

The motor/controller unit 40 may also include counterbalancing. In apreferred embodiment, motor/controller unit 40 includes a fixed perch 56attached to intermediate shaft 62. In this embodiment, mount 54functions as a rotating perch, and a counterbalance spring 63 (not shownin FIG. 5 for clarity; shown in FIG. 6) is attached to the rotatingperch 54 and the fixed perch 56. The intermediate shaft 62 may behexagonal in shape to facilitate mounting of the fixed perch 56.Preloading the counterbalance spring advantageously improves theperformance of the motorized roller shade 20.

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict exploded, isometric views of a motor/controllerunit 40 according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.In this embodiment, housing 67 contains the major components of themotor/controller unit 40, including DC gear motor 55 (e.g., DC motor 50and motor gear reducing assembly 52), one or more circuit boards 47 withthe supporting circuitry and electronic components described above, andat least one bearing 64. The output shaft 53 of the DC gear motor 55 isfixedly-attached to the support shaft 60, while the inner race ofbearing 64 is rotatably-attached support shaft 60. In one counterbalanceembodiment, at least one power spring 65 is disposed within housing 67,and is rotatably-attached to support shaft 60. Housing 67 may be formedfrom two complementary sections, fixed or removably joined by one ormore screws, rivets, etc.

FIGS. 7C, 7D and 7E depict isometric views of a motor/controller unit 40according to another alternative embodiment of the present invention. Inthis embodiment, housing 68 contains the DC gear motor 55 (e.g., DCmotor 50 and motor gear reducing assembly 52), one or more circuitboards 47 with the supporting circuitry and electronic componentsdescribed above, while housing 69 includes at least one bearing 64.Housings 68 and 69 may be attachable to one another, either removably orpermanently. The output shaft 53 of the DC gear motor 55 isfixedly-attached to the support shaft 60, while the inner race ofbearing 64 is rotatably-attached support shaft 60. In one counterbalanceembodiment, at least one power spring 65 is disposed within housing 69,and is rotatably-attached to support shaft 60. While the depictedembodiment includes two power springs 65, three (or more) power springs65 may be used, depending on the counterbalance force required, theavailable space within shade tube 32, etc. Housings 68 and 69 may beformed from two complementary sections, fixed or removably joined by oneor more screws, rivets, etc.

FIG. 8A depicts an exploded, isometric view of the power supply unit 80depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5. Generally, the power supply unit 80 includesa battery tube 82, an outer end cap 86, and a inner end cap 84. Theouter end cap 86 includes one or more bearings 90 that are rotatablycoupled to a support shaft 88. In a preferred embodiment, outer end cap86 includes two low-friction rolling element bearings, such as, forexample, spherical ball bearings, separated by a spacer 91; each outerrace is attached to the outer end cap 86, while each inner race isattached to the support shaft 88. Other types of low-friction bearingsare also contemplated by the present invention. In one alternativeembodiment, bearings 86 are simply bearing surfaces, preferablylow-friction bearing surfaces, while in another alternative embodiment,support shaft 88 is fixedly attached to the outer end cap 86, and theexternal shade support bracket provides the bearing surface for thesupport shaft 88.

In the depicted embodiment, the outer end cap 86 is removable and theinner cap 84 is fixed. In other embodiments, the inner end cap 84 may beremovable and the outer end cap 86 may be fixed, both end caps may beremovable, etc. The removable end cap(s) may be threaded, slotted, etc.

The outer end cap 86 also includes a positive terminal that is coupledto the battery tube 82. The inner end cap 84 includes a positiveterminal coupled to the battery tube 82, and a negative terminal coupledto a conduction spring 85. When a battery stack 92, including at leastone battery, is installed in the battery tube 82, the positive terminalof the outer end cap 86 is electrically coupled to the positive terminalof one of the batteries in the battery stack 92, and the negativeterminal of the inner end cap 84 is electrically coupled to the negativeterminal of another one of the batteries in the battery stack 92. Ofcourse, the positive and negative terminals may be reversed, so that theconduction spring 85 contacts the positive terminal of one of thebatteries in the battery stack 92, etc.

The outer end cap 86 and the inner end cap 84 are mechanically coupledto the inner surface of the shade tube 32. In one embodiment, the outersurface of the mount 84 and the inner surface of the shade tube 32 aresmooth, and the mechanical coupling is a press fit, an interference fit,a friction fit, etc. In another embodiment, the outer surface of themount 84 includes several raised longitudinal protrusions that mate withcooperating longitudinal recesses in the inner surface of the shade tube32. In this embodiment, the mechanical coupling is keyed; a combinationof these methods is also contemplated. Importantly, the frictionalresistance should be small enough such that the power supply unit 80 canbe removed from the shade tube 32 for inspection, repair and batteryreplacement.

In a preferred embodiment, the battery stack 92 includes eight D-cellbatteries connected in series to produce an average battery stackvoltage of 9.6V_(avg). Other battery sizes, as well as other DC powersources disposable within battery tube 82, are also contemplated by thepresent invention.

After the motor/controller unit 40 and power supply unit 80 are built upas subassemblies, final assembly of the motorized roller shade 20 isquite simple. The electrical connector 42 is fitted within the innercavity of shade tube 32 to a predetermined location; power cables 43 hasa length sufficient to permit the remaining sections of themotor/controller unit 40 to remain outside the shade tube 32 until theelectrical connector 42 is properly seated. The remaining sections ofthe motor/controller unit 40 are then fitted within the inner cavity ofshade tube 32, such that the bearing housing 58 is approximately flushwith the end of the shade tube 32. The power supply unit 80 is theninserted into the opposite end until the positive and negative terminalsof the inner end cap 84 engage the terminal 41 of the electricalconnector 42. The outer end cap 86 should be approximately flush withend of the shade tube 32.

In the alternative embodiment depicted in FIG. 8B, the outer end cap 86is mechanically coupled to the inner surface of the shade tube 32 usinga press fit, interference fit, an interference member, such as O-ring89, etc., while the inner end cap 81 is not mechanically coupled to theinner surface of the shade tube 32.

In the alternative embodiment depicted in FIG. 8C, the shade tube 32functions as the battery tube 82, and the battery stack 92 is simplyinserted directly into shade tube 32 until one end of the battery stack92 abuts the inner end cap 84. The positive terminal of the outer endcap 86 is coupled to the positive terminal of the inner end cap 84 usinga wire, foil strip, trace, etc. Of course, the positive and negativeterminals may be reversed, so that the respective negative terminals arecoupled.

In a further alternative embodiment, the batteries may be mountedoutside of the shade tube, and power may be provided to the componentslocated within the shade tube using commutator or slip rings, inductiontechniques, and the like. Additionally, the external batteries may bereplaced by any external source of DC power, such as, for example, anAC/DC power converter, a solar cell, etc.

FIGS. 9A and 9B depict exploded, isometric views of a power supply unitaccording to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In thisembodiment, power supply unit 80 includes a housing 95 with one or morebearings 90 that are rotatably coupled to a support shaft 88, a powercoupling 93 to receive power from an external power source, and positiveand negative terminals to engage the electrical connector 42. Powercables 97 (shown in phantom for clarity) extend from the power coupling93, through a hollow central portion of support shaft 88, to an externalDC power source. In a preferred embodiment, housing 95 includes twolow-friction rolling element bearings 90, such as, for example,spherical ball bearings; each outer race is attached to the housing 95,while each inner race is attached to the support shaft 88. Other typesof low-friction bearings are also contemplated by the present invention.Housing 95 may be formed from two complementary sections, fixed orremovably joined by one or more screws, rivets, etc.

In one embodiment, the support shafts 88 are slidingly-attached to theinner race of ball bearings 90 so that the support shafts 88 may bedisplaced along the rotational axis of the shade tube 32. Thisadjustability advantageously allows an installer to precisely attach theend of the support shafts 88 to the respective mounting bracket byadjusting the length of the exposed portion of the support shafts 88. Ina preferred embodiment, outer end cap 86 and housing 95 may provideapproximately 0.5″ of longitudinal movement for the support shafts 88.Additionally, mounting brackets 5, 7, 15 and 17 are embossed so that theprotruding portion of the mounting bracket will only contact the innerrace of bearings 64 and 90 and will not rub against the edge of theshade or the shade tube 32 if the motorized roller shade 20 is installedincorrectly. In a preferred embodiment, the bearings may accommodate upto 0.125″ of misalignment due to installation errors without asignificant reduction in battery life.

In an alternative embodiment, the microcontroller receives controlsignals from a wired remote control. These control signals may beprovided to the microcontroller in various ways, including, for example,over power cables 97, over additional signal lines that are accommodatedby power coupling 93, over additional signal lines that are accommodatedby a control signal coupling (not shown in FIGS. 9A,B for clarity), etc.

Various additional embodiments of the present invention are presented inFIGS. 10-16. FIGS. 10 and 11 depict an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention without counterbalancing; FIG. 10 presents a frontview of a motorized roller shade 120, while FIG. 11 presents a sectionalview along the longitudinal axis of the motorized roller shade 120. Inthis embodiment, the output shaft of the DC gear motor 150 is attachedto the support shaft 160, and an intermediate shaft is not included.FIGS. 12 and 13 depict an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention with counterbalancing; FIG. 12 presents a front view of amotorized roller shade 220, while FIG. 13 presents a sectional viewalong the longitudinal axis of the motorized roller shade 220. In thisembodiment, the output shaft of the DC gear motor 250 is attached to theintermediate shaft 262, and a counterbalance spring (not shown forclarity) couples rotating perch 254 to fixed perch 256. FIGS. 14 and 15depict an alternative embodiment of the present invention withcounterbalancing; FIG. 14 presents a front view of a motorized rollershade 320, while FIG. 15 presents a sectional view along thelongitudinal axis of the motorized roller shade 320. In this embodiment,the output shaft of the DC gear motor 350 is attached to theintermediate shaft 362. A power spring 390 couples the intermediateshaft 362 to the inner surface of the shade tube 332. FIG. 16 presentsan isometric view of a motorized roller shade assemblies 120, 220, 320in accordance with the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 10-15.

Motorized roller shade 20 may be controlled manually and/or remotelyusing a wireless or wired remote control. Generally, the microcontrollerexecutes instructions stored in memory that sense and control the motionof DC gear motor 55, decode and execute commands received from theremote control, monitor the power supply voltage, etc. More than oneremote control may be used with a single motorized roller shade 20, anda single remote control may be used with more than one motorized rollershade 20.

FIG. 17 presents a method 400 for controlling a motorized roller shade20, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Generally,method 400 includes a manual control portion 402 and a remote controlportion 404. In one embodiment, method 400 includes the manual controlportion 402, in another embodiment, method 400 includes the remotecontrol portion 404, and, in a preferred embodiment, method 400 includesboth the manual control portion 402 and the remote control portion 404.

During the manual control portion 402 of method 400, a manual movementof the shade 22 is detected (410), a displacement associated with themanual movement is determined (420), and, if the displacement is lessthan a maximum displacement, the shade 22 is moved (430) to a differentposition by rotating the shade tube 32 using the DC gear motor 55.

In one embodiment, the microcontroller detects a manual downwardmovement of the shade 22 by monitoring a reed switch, while in analternative embodiment, the microcontroller simply monitors the encoder.In a preferred embodiment, after the initial downward movement or tug isdetected by the reed switch, the microcontroller begins to count theencoder pulses generated by the rotation of the shade tube 32 relativeto the fixed motor shaft 51. When the encoder pulses cease, the downwardmovement has stopped, and the displacement of the shade 22 is determinedand then compared to a maximum displacement. In one embodiment, theshade displacement is simply the total number of encoder pulses receivedby the microcontroller, and the maximum displacement is a predeterminednumber of encoder pulses. In another embodiment, the microcontrollerconverts the encoder pulses to a linear distance, and then compares thecalculated linear distance to a maximum displacement, such as 2 inches.

In one example, the maximum number of encoder pulses is 80, which mayrepresent approximately 2 inches of linear shade movement in certainembodiments. If the total number of encoder pulses received by themicrocontroller is greater than or equal to 80, then the microcontrollerdoes not energize the DC gear motor 55 and the shade 22 simply remainsat the new position. On the other hand, if the total number of encoderpulses received by the microcontroller is less than 80, then themicrocontroller moves the shade 22 to a different position by energizingthe DC gear motor 55 to rotate the shade tube 32. After themicrocontroller determines that the shade 22 has reached the differentposition, the DC gear motor 55 is de-energized.

In preferred embodiments, the microcontroller maintains the currentposition of the shade 22 by accumulating the number of encoder pulsessince the shade 22 was deployed in the known position. As describedabove, the known (e.g., open) position has an accumulated pulse count of0, and the various intermediate positions each have an associatedaccumulated pulse count, such as 960, 1920, etc. When the shade 22 movesin the downward direction, the microcontroller increments theaccumulated pulse counter, and when the shade 22 moves in the upwarddirection, the microcontroller decrements the accumulated pulse counter.Each pulse received from the encoder increments or decrements theaccumulated pulse counter by one count. Of course, the microcontrollermay convert each pulse count to a linear distance, and perform thesecalculations in units of inches, millimeters, etc.

In a preferred embodiment, limited manual downward movement of the shade22 causes the microcontroller to move the shade to a position locateddirectly above the current position, such as 25% open, 50% open, 75%open, 100% open, etc. Each of these predetermined positions has anassociated accumulated pulse count, and the microcontroller determinesthat the shade 22 has reached the different position by comparing thevalue in the accumulated pulse counter to the accumulated pulse count ofthe predetermined position; when the accumulated pulse counter equalsthe predetermined position accumulated pulse count, the shade 22 hasreached the different position.

Other sets of predetermined positions are also contemplated by thepresent invention, such as 0% open, 50% open, 100% open; 0% open, 33%open, 66% open, 100% open; 0% open, 10% open, 20% open, 30% open, 40%open, 50% open, 60% open, 70% open, 80% open, 90% open, 100% open; etc.Advantageously, the accumulated pulse count associated with eachposition may be reprogrammed by the user to set one or more custompositions.

Manual upward movement of the shade 22 may be detected and measuredusing an encoder that senses direction as well as rotation, such as, forexample, an incremental rotary encoder, a relative rotary encoder, aquadrature encoder, etc. In other embodiments, limited upward movementof the shade 22 causes the microcontroller to move the shade to aposition located above the current position, etc.

During the remote control portion 404 of method 400, a command isreceived (440) from a remote control, and the shade 22 is moved (450) toa position associated with the command.

In preferred embodiments, the remote control is a wireless transmitterthat has several shade position buttons that are associated with variouscommands to move the shade 22 to different positions. The buttonsactivate switches that may be electro-mechanical, such as, for example,momentary contact switches, etc, electrical, such as, for example, atouch pad, a touch screen, etc. Upon activation of one of theseswitches, the wireless transmitter sends a message to the motorizedroller shade 20 that includes a transmitter identifier and a commandassociated with the activated button. In preferred embodiments, theremote control is pre-programmed such that each shade position buttonwill command the shade to move to a predetermined position.Additionally, remote control functionality may be embodied within acomputer program, and this program may be advantageously hosted on awireless device, such as an iPhone. The wireless device may communicatedirectly with the motorized roller shade 20, or though an intermediategateway, bridge, router, base station, etc.

In these preferred embodiments, the motorized roller shade 20 includes awireless receiver that receives, decodes and sends the message to themicrocontroller for further processing. The message may be stored withinthe wireless transmitter and then sent to the microcontrollerimmediately after decoding, or the message may be sent to themicrocontroller periodically, e.g., upon request by the microcontroller,etc. One preferred wireless protocol is the Z-Wave Protocol, althoughother wireless communication protocols are contemplated by the presentinvention.

After the message has been received by the microcontroller, themicrocontroller interprets the command and sends an appropriate controlsignal to the DC gear motor 55 to move the shade in accordance with thecommand. As discussed above, the DC gear motor 55 and shade tube 32rotate together, which either extends or retracts the shade 22.Additionally, the message may be validated prior to moving the shade,and the command may be used during programming to set a predetermineddeployment of the shade.

For example, if the accumulated pulse counter is 3840 and the shade 22is 0% open, receiving a 50% open command will cause the microcontrollerto energize the DC gear motor 55 to move the shade 22 upwards to thiscommanded position. As the shade 22 is moving, the microcontrollerdecrements the accumulated pulse counter by one count every time a pulseis received from the encoder, and when the accumulated pulse counterreaches 1920, the microcontroller de-energizes the DC gear motor 55,which stops the shade 22 at the 50% open position. In one embodiment, ifa different command is received while the shade 22 is moving, themicrocontroller may stop the movement of the shade 22. For example, ifthe shade 22 is moving in an upward direction and a close (0% open)command is received, the microcontroller may de-energize the DC gearmotor 55 to stop the movement of the shade 22. Similarly, if the shade22 is moving in a downward direction and a 100% open command isreceived, the microcontroller may de-energize the DC gear motor 55 tostop the movement of the shade 22. Other permutations are alsocontemplated by the present invention, such as moving the shade 22 tothe predetermined position associated with the second command, etc.

In a preferred embodiment, a command to move the shade to the 100% openposition resets the accumulated pulse counter to 0, and themicrocontroller de-energizes the DC gear motor 55 when the encoderpulses cease. Importantly, an end-of-travel stop, such as bottom bar 28,stops 24 and 26, and the like, engage corresponding structure on themounting brackets when the shade 22 has been retracted to the 100% openposition. This physical engagement stops the rotation of the shade tube32 and stalls the DC gear motor 55. The microcontroller senses that theencoder has stopped sending pulses, e.g., for one second, andde-energizes the DC gear motor 55. When the shade 22 is moving in theother direction, the microcontroller may check an end-of-travel pulsecount in order to prevent the shade 22 from extending past a presetlimit.

In other embodiments, the movement of the shade 22 may simply bedetermined using relative pulse counts. For example, if the currentposition of the shade 22 is 100% open, and a command to move the shade22 to the 50% open position is received, the microcontroller may simplyenergize the DC gear motor 55 until a certain number of pulses have beenreceived, by the microcontroller, from the encoder. In other words, thepulse count associated with predetermined position is relative to thepredetermined position located directly above or below, rather than theknown position.

For the preferred embodiment, programming a motorized roller shade 20 toaccept commands from a particular remote control depicted in FIGS. 18and 25, while programming or teaching the motorized roller shade 20 todeploy and retract the shade 22 to various preset or predeterminedpositions, such as open, closed, 25% open, 50% open, 75% open, etc., isdepicted in FIGS. 20 to 24. Other programming methodologies are alsocontemplated by the present invention.

In other embodiments, a brake may be applied to the motorized rollershade 20 to stop the movement of the shade 22, as well as to preventundesirable rotation or drift after the shade 22 has been moved to a newposition. In one embodiment, the microcontroller connects the positiveterminal of the DC gear motor 55 to the negative terminal of DC gearmotor 55, using one or more electro-mechanical switches, power FETS,MOSFETS, etc., to apply the brake. In another embodiment, the positiveand negative terminals of the DC gear motor 55 may be connected toground, which may advantageously draw negligible current. In a negativeground system, the negative terminal of the DC gear motor 55 is alreadyconnected to ground, so the microcontroller only needs to connect thepositive terminal of the DC gear motor 55 to ground. Conversely, in apositive ground system, the positive terminal of the DC gear motor 55 isalready connected to ground, so the microcontroller only needs toconnect the negative terminal of the DC gear motor 55 to ground.

Once the positive and negative terminals of the DC gear motor 55 areconnected, as described above, any rotation of the shade tube 32 willcause the DC gear motor 55 to generate a voltage, or counterelectromotive force, which is fed back into the DC gear motor 55 toproduce a dynamic braking effect. Other braking mechanisms are alsocontemplated by the present invention, such as friction brakes,electro-mechanical brakes, electro-magnetic brakes, permanent-magnetsingle-face brakes, etc. The microcontroller releases the brake after amanual movement of the shade 22 is detected, as well as prior toenergizing the DC gear motor 55 to move the shade 22.

In an alternative embodiment, after the shade 22 has been moved to thenew position, the positive or negative terminal of the DC gear motor 55is connected to ground to apply the maximum amount of braking force andbring the shade 22 to a complete stop. The microcontroller then connectsthe positive and negative terminals of the DC gear motor 55 together viaa low-value resistor, using an additional MOSFET, for example, to applya reduced amount of braking force to the shade 22, which prevents theshade 22 from drifting but allows the user to tug the shade 22 over longdisplacements without significant resistance. In this embodiment, thebrake is not released after the manual movement of the shade is detectedin order to provide a small amount of resistance during the manualmovement.

FIGS. 18 to 25 present operational flow charts illustrating preferredembodiments of the present invention. The functionality illustratedtherein is implemented, generally, as instructions executed by themicrocontroller. FIG. 18 depicts a Main Loop 500 that includes a manualcontrol operational flow path, a remote control operational flow path,and a combined operational flow path. Main Loop 500 exits to varioussubroutines, including subroutine “TugMove” 600 (FIG. 19), subroutine“Move25” 700 (FIG. 20), subroutine “Move50” 800 (FIG. 21), subroutine“Move75” 900 (FIG. 22), subroutine “MoveUp” 1000 (FIG. 23), subroutine“MoveDown” 1100 (FIG. 24), which return control to Main Loop 500.Subroutine “Power-Up” 1200 (FIG. 25) is executed upon power up, and thenexits to Main Loop 500.

One example of a motorized roller shade 20 according to variousembodiments of the present invention is described hereafter. The shadetube 32 is an aluminum tube having an outer diameter of 1.750 inches anda wall thickness of 0.062 inches. Bearings 64 and 90 each include twosteel ball bearings, 30 mm OD×10 mm ID×9 mm wide, that are spaced 0.250″apart. In other words, a total of four ball bearings, two at each end ofthe motorized roller shade 20, are provided.

The DC gear motor 55 is a Bühler DC gear motor 1.61.077.423, asdiscussed above. The battery tube 82 accommodates 6 to 8 D-cell alkalinebatteries, and supplies voltages ranges from 6 V to 12 V, depending onthe number of batteries, shelf life, cycles of the shade tube assembly,etc. The shade 22 is a flexible fabric that is 34 inches wide, 60 incheslong, 0.030 inches thick and weighs 0.100 lbs/sq. ft, such as, forexample, Phifer Q89 Wicker/Brownstone. An aluminum circularly-shapedcurtain bar 28, having a diameter of 0.5 inches, is attached to theshade 22 to provide taughtness as well as an end-of-travel stop. Thecounterbalance spring 63 is a clock spring that provides 1.0 to 1.5in-lb of counterbalance torque to the shade 22 after it has reached 58inches of downward displacement. In this example, the current drawn bythe Bühler DC gear motor ranges between 0.06 and 0.12 amps, depending onfriction.

Turning now to FIGS. 26-28, a schematic view of a window, generallydesignated 1200 is illustrated, wherein the window 1200 has a blind orshade assembly 1202 mounted thereto having a shade or blind 1204.Referring now specifically to FIG. 26, the blind or shade assembly 1202has the shade or blind 1024 deployed in a first position whereas FIG. 27depicts the shade or blind assembly 1202 wherein the shade or blind 1204is fully deployed to the closed position, covering the window 1200. FIG.28 depicts the shade or blind assembly 1202 wherein the shade or blind1204 is in a third, fully open position. The aforementioned figures andcorresponding positions will be discussed further in connection withFIGS. 29 and 30.

Turning now to FIGS. 29 and 30, the roller shade or blind assembly 1202is depicted in accordance with the embodiments of the present inventiondescribed herein. As illustrated in FIGS. 29 and 30, the roller or shadeassembly 1202 includes a motor (not shown) having an output shaft 1206extending therefrom. A Hall Effect magnet wheel 1208 is mounted to saidoutput shaft 1206. The roller shade or blind assembly 1202 alsocomprises a Hall Effect sensor as part of a printed circuit board 1210.Alternatively, the roller shade or blind assembly 1202 may employ achopper wheel wherein an optical encoder is mounted to the printedcircuit board 1210 instead of the above-discussed Hall Effect magnetwheel and sensor. Moreover, the roller shade or blind assembly 1202 mayalternatively employ a magnetic reed witch or a potentiometer.

The roller shade or blind assembly 1202 includes a microprocessor (notshown) as previously discussed, which is mounted to a second printedcircuit board 1212. The microprocessor is electrically connected to thepower supply and the first printed circuit board 1210.

During operation, once the shade or blind assembly 1202 is installed andenergized or otherwise powered up, the shade or blind 1204 will be ableto move or translate to a predetermined position. One preferred distanceis about 12 inches (30.5 cm) but it can be any desired distance/positionin the path of travel of the shade or blind 1204, for example asillustrated in FIG. 26. The aforementioned translations of the shade orblind 1204 may be automatic from a time out command after energizing thepower supply or a manual movement of the shade or blind 1204, such as atug, or a depression of a button on a remote transmitter. Once the shadeor blind 1204 is deployed to the position as described above, themotorized shade or blind assembly 1202 is now positioned for furtheruser response and input. The user may now manually pull the shade orblind 1204 to the fully closed position as depicted in FIG. 27.

Next, the control unit may proceed to time out and translate of move theshade or blind 1204 to a third or fully open position as depicted inFIG. 28. The aforementioned last movement or translation is typicallyautomatic by means of a countdown timer but alternatively could beinitiated by a transmitter or a short tug on the shade or blind 1204. Inone embodiment, the described setup would likely be performed each timethe power supply is energized and in said embodiment, may occurautomatically if for some reason the Hall Effect sensor 1210 lost countcausing a hard stop.

The upper limit hard stop, as previously mentioned, at the top of theroller shade travel is utilized to re-sync the encoder count bydetecting the upper travel limit. The use of “absolute encoders” ispermitted as well as “ non-absolute encoders” which must be recalibratedor re-synced to an encoder zero position as desired, in this case thehard stop at the top. Over time, an encoder might become slightly out ofsync with the actual shade position causing the shade assembly to notfunction correctly or as desired. This described occurrence can easilyhappen when the reed switch is falsely triggered by the encoder magnetrocking or oscillating due to motor and fabric and spring workingagainst each other at some position of travel. One may correct this “outof sync condition” forcing a hard stop every certain amount of cycles tore-sync said encoder. Please note the number of cycles is an arbitrarynumber and can be any desired or needed value. The aforementionedsyncing process is preferred as it is undesireable to take an energy hitby stalling the motor every time the blind or shade 1204 is retractedall the way and it is undesirable to introduce noise. e.g., clank, etc.,by having the bottom bar of the blind or shade, for example, hit thehard stop every time the blind or shade 1204 is refracted.

In one example for setting a custom upper limit during the setup, theend user may use a lower starting position for the blind or shade 1204as one of the intermediate positions. So, for instance, if the end userwere to tug on the blind or shade 1204 to propel it to the top, the enduser may alternatively stop at an intermediate position to allow for theblind or shade 1204 to be more easily accessible. Since the intermediatepositions are programmable, an end user may set the upper height towhatever “artificial top” desired or preferred.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from thedetailed specification, and, thus, it is intended by the appended claimsto cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, sincenumerous modifications and variations will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to theexact construction and operation illustrated and described, and,accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto that fall within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of setting the operational limits of amotorized shade or blind having a travel path, comprising: translatingor moving the motorized shade or blind to a first position within thetravel path to create a first artificial stop; translating or moving themotorized shade or blind to a second position within the travel path tocreate a second artificial stop; and translating or moving the motorizedshade or blind to a third position within the travel path to create athird artificial stop, wherein the motorized roller shade comprises: acounter; and a microprocessor, wherein the counter and themicroprocessor are each configured to count a number of revolutions ofthe shade or blind to each of the first artificial stop, the secondartificial stop and the third artificial stop; and a shade tube,including: an outer surface upon which a shade is attached, and an innersurface defining an inner cavity; a motor/controller unit, disposedwithin the shade tube inner cavity and mechanically coupled to the shadetube inner surface, including: a support shaft attachable to a mountingbracket; at least one bearing rotatably coupled to the support shaft, aDC gear motor having an output shaft coupled to the support shaft suchthat the output shaft and the support shaft do not rotate when thesupport shaft is attached to the mounting bracket, and a controller,coupled to the motor, to control the motor; and a power supply unit,electrically coupled to the motor/controller unit, disposed within theshade tube inner cavity and mechanically coupled to the shade tube innersurface, including a support shaft attachable to a mounting bracket. 2.The method according to claim 1, wherein the counter is a Hall Effectsensor assembly comprising a Hall Effect sensor and Hall Effect magnet.3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the counter is a chopperwheel and an optical encoder.
 4. The method according claim 1 whereinthe counter is a magnetic reed.
 5. The method according claim 1 whereinthe counter is a potentiometer.
 6. The motorized roller shade accordingto claim 1, wherein the motor/controller unit includes a wirelessreceiver, coupled to the controller, to receive wireless signals.
 7. Themotorized roller shade according to claim 6, wherein themotor/controller unit includes a wireless transmitter, coupled to thecontroller, to send wireless signals.
 8. The motorized roller shadeaccording to claim 1, wherein the motor/controller unit includes: an endcap, mechanically coupled to the inner surface of the shade tube, inwhich the bearing is disposed; and a mount, mechanically coupled to theinner surface of the shade tube, for mounting the DC gear motor.
 9. Themotorized roller shade according to claim 1, wherein themotor/controller unit includes an intermediate shaft disposed betweenthe motor gear reducer assembly and the support shaft.
 10. The motorizedroller shade according to claim 9, wherein the motor/controller unitincludes: a fixed perch attached to the DC gear motor and mechanicallycoupled to the inner surface of the shade tube; a rotating perchattached to the intermediate shaft; and a spring attached to the fixedperch and the rotating perch.
 11. The motorized roller shade accordingto claim 1, wherein the motor/controller unit includes at least onecircuit board upon which the controller is mounted.
 12. The motorizedroller shade according to claim 11, wherein the motor/controller unitincludes a circuit board housing in which the circuit board is mounted.13. The motorized roller shade according to claim 11, wherein themotor/controller unit includes a housing, mechanically coupled to theinner surface of the shade tube, in which the bearing, the DC gear motorand the circuit board are contained.
 14. The motorized roller shadeaccording to claim 13, wherein the motor/controller unit includes atleast one power spring attached to the support shaft.
 15. The motorizedroller shade according to claim 11, wherein the motor/controller unitincludes: a motor shaft extending from the DC gear motor; a multi-polemagnet attached to the motor shaft; and at least one sensor, mounted tothe circuit board, to detect the rotation of the multi-pole magnet. 16.The motorized roller shade according to claim 1, wherein the powersupply unit includes a battery tube, electrically coupled to themotor/controller unit, for housing at least one battery.
 17. Themotorized roller shade according to claim 16, wherein the power supplyunit includes: at least one bearing rotatably coupled to the supportshaft; an outer end cap, mechanically coupled to the inner surface ofthe shade tube, in which the bearing is disposed, the outer end caphaving a first terminal electrically coupled to the battery tube; and aninner end cap, mechanically coupled to the inner surface of the shadetube, having a first terminal electrically coupled to the battery tubeand a second terminal, wherein, when the battery is installed in thebattery tube, the first terminal of the outer end cap is electricallycoupled to a first terminal of the battery, and the second terminal ofthe inner end cap is electrically coupled to a second terminal of thebattery.
 18. The motorized roller shade according to claim 1, whereinthe power supply unit includes a power coupling, electrically coupled tothe motor/controller unit, to receive power from an external powersupply.
 19. The motorized roller shade according to claim 18, whereinthe power coupling includes a commutator ring or a slip ring.